IT’S BACK! After 7 months, West Seattle Junction post office has a drive-up/ride-up mailbox again

2:52 PM: Thanks to everybody who has messaged about this – reporting that the West Seattle Junction finally has its drive-up/ride-up mailbox back. It’s been a month and half since our last update, from reader Diana, who was told by the USPS that it might be “several more months.” The old, damaged box was removed in mid-January, right after our original report about it having been out of service for a few weeks.

3:10 PM: WSB’s Katie Meyer just checked out the new box and sent the photo we added above. She says it is still being fine-tuned but it is usable – and bolted into concrete.

The USPS takes in about $18 million in annual taxpayer subsidies each year, has revenue of over $60 billion, and it takes them seven months to replace a mailbox. I can’t think of anything more emblematic of what a dysfunctional, broken down bureaucracy they are. There are countries in the developing world that have better run postal systems. Now if they could just get their carriers to stop blocking fire hydrants and crosswalks all over West Seattle then I might be willing to celebrate.

Sus Parker, there are political reasons related to pension prefunding (that no other organization has to deal with) that the USPS is in a strange financial situation, put into place by Congress. That aside, I don’t see any private carriers rushing to deliver letters anywhere in the country for $.50.

Marianne- you know often there really is nowhere close by to park -What if you use a walker or a cane- or have a child or two with you-how far away is a reasonable distance to walk to deposit a letter?

What I don’t get is why some can’t see that this is something that’s a real convenience for many.

The Seattle area USPS facilities department should immediately order another one of these boxes to have on hand for the next replacement. When that one gets deployed another should be ordered. Seattle is a large service area, having one of these in stock, ready to go, seems like a reasonable policy rather than customers having to do without for 7 months.

No, ‘we’ didn’t break it, one person did. ‘We’ do pay taxes and postage fees that cover the costs of these things and in return USPS is legally obligated to provide services in a timely fashion. USPS failed to hold up their end. I’ve got video footage of our USPS guy kicking my package up to my door with his foot, tripping on Christmas light power cords (because he cuts across our lawn to avoid using the sidewalk), leaves our mail at our neighbors house multiple times, etc…. I want USPS to hold up their end of the deal.